Holddown device for resawing machines



Gcto 5 9 J. A. NEAL HOLDDOWN DEVICE FOR RESAWING MACHINES Filed April 1'7, 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 J. A. NEAL HOLDDOWN DEVICE FOR RESAWING MACHINES Oct. 5 1926.

1925 2 Sheets-Sham 2 Filed April 1'7,

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Patented Oct. 5, 1926.

UNI.'ffii-:igng STATES PATENT OFFICE...

JOSEPH A. NEAL, OF MOBILE, ALABAMA, ASSIGNOR 0F ONEHALF TO STOVER LUMBER COMPANY, 0F MOBILE, ALABAMA, A CORPORATION 0F ALABAMA.

noLDpowiv. Janvier; Foa nnsavviivev MACHINES,

Applicant@ me@ April 17, 1e25. serial No. eases.

This invention relates tos re-sawing machines, and more particularly to means for supporting andI guiding the material or stock through the machine in, proper positionnfor the'action of the saws, together with means for holding the material'downupon said supporting. means, with a yielding and variable pressure; present invention being an improvement upon the invention for whichV a Patent No. 1,356,110 was granted to me- October 19, 192D, and the objects4 ofthe present invention are improve the construction of the'supporting., and Pressure-applying means Sho-Wn 1111 my aforesaid patent, and to increase the etiicieneyl and durability'thereof. The invention will first` be hereinafter more jaarticularly deseribed, with Areference to the accompanying drawingsfwhich are t0. be taken.. asa part.otthSSpeCCatOm andthen pointed out in the claims` at the end of the description.

In said drawings, Fig. 1 is a plan view of a nefsawiig maehine'embodying. my invention; Y

' Fie 2 is. a fragmentary vertal Sectional elevation of'said machine taken on the line 2,-@ 0f Fig.- 1., leokes'n. the' direeterl 0f the arrows.;Y Fig. 3 is a detail tran taken onl the line o-Snotl Figj2'5.

Fgt isla detail sectional view4 showing the. means. empleyed f9.1". adiustngthe Sides and bottom, of the giiidefbox;

Fig. 5 is a plan. view Qtthe .glade-bex,

i the superposedhousing for, the hold down devices. being removed Fig. 6 is afdetail crosssectionef the guidebox and. associated 'partsshown partly in dotted lines;l

Fig... 7. is a plan View Q f the, housingV the non down devises detti-Cmd;

Fig 8. is a plan view Q afm form of, PfeSSlffOt-; and? i Fig. 9 isa transverse sectional! view of the lpresserffoot taken-onthe line9J- f9 of Fig. .8.

111 .Said C11-"anlass, iin which. the Seine ref* erence lettersoare used todenetecorrespondingpartsin vdifferent views, I haveshown myfimprovement applied. to a 11e-,sawing ma chine having twin cireular.` saws mounted! on a tilting frame B, su'chas shown inmy application Serial, No. 13,.,29,1,"iledl March 5, 19257. (now 'Patent No.. 1,584,196),extending across .a mainv supporting, lframe having Svers@ sectional "eW` improved front vand rear sides A andy A1 and sides or ends A2 secured together at'the four corners thereof, in boxe-like formgas, shown F ig said sides A2. being formed or provided with yopen-ended slots or guideways about midway thereof in which the ends of the tilting frame B arevertically slidably fitted with provision for adjusting and securing said tilting frame in different positions so asA toA change the angle of the saws tor adapt them to cut the stock on a bevel', or at all angle to a horizontal plane. Said supporting trame.y is preferably of the form shown, but may be of any suitable construction with or withoutfthe tilting frame, and

my present inventionis not limited in its use to machines of the type shown inimy aforesaid application, but may be applied lto re-sawing 'machines ofvarious types. On the main supporting frame are mounted parallel guide bars C, C, having oblong slots therein through which the saws protrude, and formed 'or provided onthe outer side thereof at opposite. ends with laterally projecting lugs or iangesc having marginal inclined.strengthening ribs 01 andslots c2 in saidl ianges whereby said guide bars may be adjusted i and secured on the .supporting frame .at different distances apart, to accommodate materiall ofditferent widths, by means of fastening bolts inserted in said slotsand through holes in a subjacent frame bar, as shown more clearly in Figs. i and 6. Said guide bars are also formed with. laterally 'projecting apertured lugs@3 on their upperA edges at the receiving end of the guide-boxnfor securing theretof a superposed housing for horlddoivn devices hereinafter desembed. Between saidy guide bars is s e- .olil'edi a, vertically adjustable 100Mom-1Qlat@ D, on which the material rests and slides through the v machine, said bottom-plate. consistingpreferably of a bar off'iron 'or steel extending froml front to rear of themachine frame and. having solid end portions and an i.ntermediate1 portion. of. Channel-iron form; .said end portions` being of step-like form along a median line as'shown in Figs. 9 and 5, to bring the extremities d thereof and theheads, ofl fastening bolts secured to` said extremities below the plane of the intermediate and main body portion, so. that the heads of saidl fastening bolts may not obstruct or interfere with the passage of material through the machine., vThe end portionsV of said bottom-plate are provided with open-ended slots all in which fastening bolts Z2 are inserted, said bolts passing through holes in a subjacent frame bar and having` nuts screwed on the lower ends thereof, underneath said subjacent frame bar, so that the bottom-plate may be raised or lowered and secured in different positions, as desired, to adapt the machine for use in sawing boards varying in thickness; the end portions of the bottom-plate, or the end thereof where the stoclr enters the guideway, being upheld by set screws (Z3, screwed into a subjacent frame bar. rilhe open-ended slots in the bed plate l) adapt it to be easily attached and secured in place by simplyV engaging the slot at one end with a fastening` bolt and then inserting and securing a bolt in the slot at the other end, thus avoidingY the trouble and annoyance incident toV inserting fastening bolts through apertures in the bed plate at opposite ends and register-- ing apertures in an underlying` frame bar. which necessitates proper adjustment and alinementl of the apertures at both ends and the insertion of the bolts at opposite ends before either end is firmly secured in place; and to remove the bed plate it is only necessary to remove a single bolt at one end and withdraw the plate from the bolt at the other end. Vertical adjustment of the bottom-plate is accomplished by the co-operative action of the fastening bolts Z2 and set screws da. the bolts drawing the bottomplate down and the set screws forcing it up,

as shown more clearly in the detail View Fig. 4 of the drawings. A housing F carrying hold-down devices Gr is mounted on the machine frame over the ends of the guide bars C, at the end thereof where the stock or material enters for the action of the saws, and is secured upon the guide bars by means of fastening bolts inserted through apertured lugs f projecting laterally from the lower outer sides of the housing and through the corresponding subjacent lugs c3"on the upper edges of the guide bars C. In the side walls of said housing F is journaled one or more eccentric pins g. each having an operating handle or lever g1 attached thereto atone end on the outer side of the housing and each carrying a presser-foot G having a forwardly and downwardly extending portion of substantially the same width as the bottom-plate and of substantially rectangular form with marginal and intermediate longitudinal strengthening` ribs g2 andv g3 and a tubular head portion /t, to receive the eccentric pin7 and also a bifurcated rearward extension g5 suitably apertured for connection with pressure-applying means hereinafter described.

The eccentric pin is enlarged at one end and the other end thereof is reduced in size, but concentric with said enlarged end and yprotrudes through a hole in'a side wall of the casing for attaching an operating handle thereto. rlhe intermediate eccentric portion of the pin passes through the tubular rear end port-ion of the presser-foot and is of a length equal to :the distance between the inner walls of the housing so that the pressure-foot will take a firm hold on the stock the full width thereof. rlhe eccentric pin has a cam-like action adapting it to raise or lower the presser-foot, to accommodate material of different thicknesses. and to hold the presser-foot in raised position.y and by turning the pin sufliciently to pass a dead center the presser-foot will beV thrown into an inoperative position,Y which is desirable at times in order to permit the removal. of the stock from the machine. c

The ribbed construction of the presser-foot serves to combine lightness with strength, and the forward end thereof terminates er merges in a flat toe-piece (f/Gconnecting the ribs and which is adapted to rest firmly upon and hold the material down upon its support with a yielding pressure as lit passes through the machine to the saws pressure applying means being provided whereby the presser-foot is adapted to exert a yielding' and variable pressure in operating upon different lrinds of material; the meansr shown consisting of a rod or rods H, inserted through an opening or openings in the top of the housing F.each rod having its lower end pivoted to the bifurcated extensiong/5 of the presser-foot and having Va nut h screwed thereon, on the undersideof' the housing. and an adjustable nut or nuts h1 screwed on the free end of the rod, and a coiled or other suitable spring I. placed on the rod between the nut 731 and the top of the housing so as to exert a force tending to hold the presser-foot down upon the stock; downward movement of the free end of the presser-foot being` limited by the engagement of the adjustable nutrU with the underside of the top of the housing, and the pressure of the spring being varied by adjusting the nut or nuts h1. ,l

lVhile. I preferably use a pair of hold down devices. one arranged in advance of the other, to insure a firm downward pressure on the material the full length thereof as it slides through the machine, and a vertically adjustable supportingbar or bed-`v plate on which the material rests arranged between laterally adjustable guide-bars; it may be desirable in some cases to use a single hold down device, and non-adjustable supporting and guiding means. and l therefore.

do not desire to be limited in the appended claims to the specific arrangement shown and described.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and ydesire to secure by Let-.iw

ters Patent of the United States is:

l. The combination, in a sawing machine, of parallel guide-bars and an intermediate bottom-plate or support for the material to be operated on by the saws; said bottomplate being constructed with an intermediate portion of channel-like form having a smooth upper surface and marginal longitudinal strengthening ribs on the under side thereof and end-portions of step-like form along a median line; said end-portions having open-ended slots therein adapted to receive fastening bolts inserted through holes in a subjacent frame-bar and having' the heads thereofr fitted in said slots and resting on said end portions of said bottom-plate below the surface of said intermediate portion, and means underneath the bottomplate for raising the latter in opposition to the downward pull of said bolts.

2. rlhe combination, in a sawing machine7 of parallel guide-bars having laterally projecting lugs on their upper and lower edges at opposite ends; said lugs having oblong slots therein to receive fastening bolts, and the lower lugs having substantially triangular strengthening ribs thereon, a housing mounted on said bars and secured to the upper most lugs thereon, and variable pressureapplying means carried by said housing comprising presser-feet of rectangular form roclringly mounted within the housing and of a width approximately equal to the distance between said guide-bars; said presserfeet having forwardly and downwardly ex- V tended portions merging in substantially flat work-engaging toe-pieces and rearwardly projecting bifurcated portions connected with spring-actuated rods depending through the top of said housing.

3. The combination, in a sawing machine., with means for supporting and guiding material through the machine in proper position for the action of the saws, said means including spaced parallel guide-bars, of variable pressure-applying means for holding the material down upon its support; the latter means comprising a presser-foot of substantially rectangular form and of' a width approximately equal to the Idistance between said guide-bars and having an intermediate. tubular portion adapted to fit upon a revolubly supported eccentric pin and a forwardly and downwardly extended portion having marginal and intermediate integral'longit-udinal strengthening ribs thereon and merging in a substantially flat work-engaging toe-piece adapted to normally rest on the material passing through the machine and also having a rearwardly and upwardly eX- tended bifurcated portion adapted for connection with spring-actuated pressure-applying devices supported on a frame structure carrying said presser-foot.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature.

JOSEPH A. NEAL. 

